Ringo Starr Reveals What He Really Thinks About Sam Mendes’ Upcoming Beatles Biopics (Exclusive)

Ringo Starr is ready to see his past play out on the silver screen.

Director Sam Mendes announced last year that he’s set to direct four intersecting feature films that tell the stories of each of the four Beatles members — Starr, Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison — from their point of view.

Now, Starr, 84, tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue that he’s looking forward to his film. “I’m excited that [Mendes] has taken the madness of making four movies at the same time,” he says.

“My life as a lad, John’s life, Paul’s life, George’s life, I mean, it must interact in some way,” adds Starr. “There’ll be Beatles in mine around when I joined, and there’ll be Beatles in Paul’s. We’ll all be there. So I’m excited to see what he does with it.”

While no official casting announcements have been made, Starr seemingly confirmed that Barry Keoghan will pick up a set of drumsticks to portray him, saying in an interview last year that he thought the rumors of the Saltburn actor playing him were “great.”

“The only thing, I heard the guy who’s playing me was taking drum lessons, and I asked someone to tell him not to take too many,” Starr now jokes to PEOPLE.

Other casting rumors suggest that Paul Mescal will play McCartney, 82, and Harris Dickinson will take on the role of Lennon, while either Joseph Quinn or Charlie Rowe will play Harrison.

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Mendes’ movies are expected to hit theaters in 2027. A press release shared upon the films’ announcement in February 2024 said that the project is the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted the rights to their life stories and music for a feature-length film.

“I’m honored to be telling the story of the greatest rock band of all time, and excited to challenge the notion of what constitutes a trip to the movies,” Mendes, 59, said in a statement at the time.

The British filmmaker’s production partner, Pippa Harris, added in a statement of her own that the pair “intend this to be a uniquely thrilling, and epic cinematic experience: four films, told from four different perspectives which tell a single story about the most celebrated band of all time.”

Dickinson, 28, addressed the rumors that he’ll be playing Lennon in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in January.

“Okay, my comment is that I think it would be a brilliant opportunity to play John Lennon, and to work with Sam and everyone else mentioned,” he said. “Yeah, I don’t know. It would be splendid.”

Mescal, 29, meanwhile, said similar last year, telling Entertainment Tonight that playing McCartney “truly would be a dream come true.”

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Mescal’s Gladiator II director Ridley Scott seemingly spilled the beans on his casting during a conversation with Christopher Nolan after a screening of the sequel. Nolan, 54, asked Scott, 87, if Mescal would be starring in his next feature film, The Dog Stars, and Scott said that although that was once the plan, Mescal might have scheduling conflicts due to another project.

“Maybe. Paul is actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next,” he said, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “So I may have to let him go.”

For more on Ringo Starr, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.